'Help! My boss doesn't do any work and takes credit for everything I do'

Ask The Insider columnist Ashley Lutz answers all your
work-related questions, including the awkward, sensitive, and
real-world ones. Have a question? Email
asktheinsider@businessinsider.com.

Dear Insider,

I work as an associate account manager for a large shoe
label. For the most part, I love my coworkers and my job. But my
resentment toward my boss is growing. She holds all of us to
really high standards while not following the rules
herself.

Everyone on the team is expected to be in by 8 a.m. and work
until 6 p.m. My boss rarely gets in before 10 a.m. and rarely
stays past 5. She gets away with this because we are in a remote
office separate from headquarters and there is no one to
hold her accountable.

She expects us to put together her presentations without
any credit. She takes them to management and passes them off as
her own.

Our resentment is building but my coworkers and I are at a
loss. Our team is effective thanks to our hard work, but my boss'
lazy attitude is killing morale. My company doesn't do reviews
for managers, either. How can we address this without tattling on
the boss?

Sincerely,Resentful of my boss

***

Dear Resentful,

Wow! Your boss sounds terrible. You're bringing to light a
problem that many people in the office have encountered: abuse of
power at the hands of a manager.

Because it's difficult to quantify how well managers are doing
their jobs, incompetent bosses can often hide behind their
skilled employees. Unfortunately, many people leave jobs that
would otherwise be well-suited to them because their manager
drives them crazy.

Even though many companies have started letting teams review
their managers, employees are often afraid to speak
up because they fear that complaining will reflect
poorly on them.

The fact that you're in a remote office — far away from
additional senior managers or mentors — makes your situation all
the more challenging.

That being said, there are a few ways you can improve your
situation.

First, I would ask your boss to receive some sort of credit for
the work you're doing. This conversation doesn't have to be
accusatory — I would say something along the lines of, "I'm
really proud of X idea and want to make sure I'm getting credit."
Maybe your boss will be flexible about giving you recognition
once the issue is brought to her attention.

Her shorter hours are annoying, but that's something that will
catch up with her sooner rather than later. For all you know, the
company president is trying to call her at 8:30 a.m. only to have
it go to voicemail. Even though she's not in the big office, her
behavior will become apparent soon enough.

Try to have hope and wait it out. You have little to gain
from going to a higher-up with an issue like this.

My grandfather likes to say, "the cream always rises to the top."
Even though your boss is abusing her power and taking advantage
of you, she won't get away with it forever.

If you continue to be passionate and dedicated to your work,
you'll come out ahead.

***

Ashley Lutz is a senior editor at Business Insider
answering all your questions about the workplace. Send your
queries to asktheinsider@businessinsider.com for
publication on Business Insider. Requests for anonymity will be
granted, and questions may be edited.